EMBRACE consortium

EMBRACE Democracy - Reflections from the European Neighbourhood

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At a time when democracy is under pressure both within and around the European Union, EMBRACE explores what it means to defend democratic values in an increasingly complex world. In this five-part series, activists, advocates, and researchers from the EMBRACE consortium share on-the-ground perspectives from some of the EU’s most critical neighbouring regions. From resisting authoritarianism in Algeria and Belarus, to grassroots movements in Serbia and Tunisia, to navigating geopolitical tensions in Georgia and North Macedonia, to working or democracy during war in Gaza and Ukraine — this p...

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EMBRACE consortium

Episodes

From Algeria to Belarus: advancing democracy in authoritarian contexts 22.10.2025 54:17

In this episode of Embrace Democracy – Reflections from the European Neighborhood, we speak with Professor   Giselle Bosse and Zine Labidine Ghebouli about the resilience of authoritarian and hybrid regimes—and the protest movements and civil society actors that challenge them.  Drawing on case studies from Algeria, Serbia, Belarus, and Lebanon, our guests explore the concept of blockage...

Georgia and North Macedonia: When Democracy becomes a Geopolitical Battleground 01.10.2025 57:48

In this episode of EMBRACE Democracy, we explore what happens when democracy promotion becomes part of a global power struggle. Our guests, Ana Mikautadze from Georgia and Ana Krstinovska from North Macedonia, bring deep regional knowledge to the table. As members of the EMBRACE consortium, they have studied how EU democracy support is shaped – and sometimes undermined – by geopolitical competitio...

Gaza and Ukraine: What does it mean to work for democracy in the midst of war? 24.09.2025 54:48

In this episode of EMBRACE Democracy, we bring together two voices from regions currently at the heart of global attention: Gaza and Ukraine. Our guests, Omar Shaban and Tetiana Kyselova – both members of the EMBRACE consortium – are researchers, practitioners, and advocates for peace and democratic transformation. Together, they explore how people continue to engage in democratic action despite v...

Popular uprisings: reflections from Serbia and Tunisia 17.09.2025 47:51

In this episode, I will be speaking with two guests Nadia Jmal and Bojan Vranic, who operate at the intersection of research and activism. As part of their work with the EMBRACE project, both have contributed to advance our knowledge on popular uprisings: one from Serbia, where ongoing protests are challenging authoritarian backsliding, and another from Tunisia, where the Arab Spring once sparked...

Introduction: What works in democracy support, and why? 10.09.2025 36:31

In the intro episode for EMBRACE Democracy : Reflections from the European Neighbourhood, host Johanna Hülzer sat down with Professors Sonja Grimm and Karina Shyrokykh, members of the EMBRACE Consortium and engaged researchers, educators, and advocates for democracy to explain the research project behind this deceptively simple question. They reflect on the three-year journey across diverse countr...